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As he moved off into the darkness beyond the firelight, she forced her attention away from his broad shoulders. Cleanup seemed a good distraction. The frigid stream rinsed her fish-slimy tools and she returned to find the wood covered, and Ranger Morgan—Joel—arranging a second log near the fire so they’d both have a place to sit.
She pan-fried the fish while he boiled the rice, and other than his compliment on the trout, they ate in silence. She kept thinking she should say something, but despite his apology, his expression didn’t appear any more welcoming than before and she held her tongue.
Snow had begun to fall at a steady clip, covering the ground in a thin layer of white by the time they finished. After dinner, cleanup went fast, too fast, because before she knew it, it was time to retire to the tent.
Together. All night, just the two of them, in that tiny, little, confined space.
With the storm moving in, what if they were stuck up here for another whole day? Her pulse increased despite silent admonishments and a reminder that she didn’t even like the guy. She quickly removed her boots and slid into her sleeping bag while he tended the fire. Instead of spreading out the larger chunks of charred wood, he arranged them together in the center.
Flames bloomed skyward as she asked, “Why not just put it out?”
He squatted down and reached inside the tent to unroll his sleeping bag. “Wind’s not bad yet, so I figured I’d let it burn as much as possible before heading back out to finish it off.”
She flipped onto her stomach, resting her chin on her hand to gaze through the open tent flap. The snowflakes floated down, bright dots of white against the backdrop of the fire and dark mountains. Beautiful. Plus, watching the snowfall was safer than watching him.
He finished arranging his bag, then spun around to sit facing outward as well. His presence dwarfed the already small tent, and again, the silence grated on her nerves. Ironic really, when she’d specifically come up here for the peace and quiet. Except she’d planned to be alone, not dealing with a complete stranger who kept her on edge.
Up here was her heaven on earth, and she felt a tiny spurt of resentment that he’d ruined her solitude tonight.
“This is nice.”
His low voice startled her. From the corner of her eye, it appeared he was also staring outside.
More silence, then an even softer, “Like heaven on earth.”
Now she jerked her head toward him; her breath caught in her throat from hearing her thoughts in his voice. He stiffened, flicked his gaze to her, then gave a shrug and maneuvered to stretch out on his sleeping bag. “It may sound stupid to you, but up in the mountains, it seems like the closest thing to heaven.”
She didn’t want to connect with him over something so elemental, yet couldn’t help admitting, “I know exactly what you mean. Hard to find this in Chicago.”
“Ah, you’re a city girl.”
The slight disdain in his words put her back on the defensive. “Not in my heart. Where are you from?”
“Montana.”
“I’ve never been there.”
“It’s just as beautiful.”
The combination of flakes and flames were mesmerizing, and even with the distraction of Joel Morgan beside her, exhaustion crept up. She’d only had a few hours sleep after the long drive from Illinois before hitting the trail early that morning. Add in the fresh mountain air and high altitude, and she didn’t think she’d be able to keep her eyes open much…
The snap of the tent flap against the nylon side jerked her awake in time to see Joel sit up. The wind had picked up, swirling the snowflakes and blowing them inside.
“Stay here,” he instructed on his way out. “I’ll check the horses and take care of the fire.”
Tempting as the offer was, she crawled from the warmth of her sleeping bag, pulled on her boots, and joined him outside. Zipping her jacket on to ward off the cold wind, she marched past him through the layer of snow already coating the ground. “My horses, my responsibility.”
“Suit yourself.”
After checking Paelo and the pack mare were both okay as they stood tail to the wind with the ranger’s gelding, she made a quick bathroom run, then returned to the tent. Joel took care of the fire while she lit a lantern. Once he was back inside and they’d zipped up tight, she gave voice to her growing concern over the storm. She also wanted to let him know she wasn’t an idiot who went camping in the spring in the mountains without checking the weather.
“I swear, the weatherman said possibility of light snow.”
“We’ll be fine, it’s not like we’re lost.”
“I know.” She stifled a yawn. “I guess I’m going to get some sleep in case we’re able to head out in the morning.”
She shifted to her side with her back to him, then lay there listening to him move around after he’d shut off the lantern. She closed her eyes. Opened them again to stare into the darkness when he sighed softly. Listened to his breathing, and then he shifted again.
